Player character connections
When creating a campaign for a tabletop roleplaying game, it is essential that there are connections between characters. This ensures there are reasons to continue to adventure together and to act as a team, rather than what is known by the internet as “Lone Wolves”. Many games do it, including Dagger Heart and His Majesty the Wyrm. They all have slightly different implementations, whether that being a background connection or full rules to ensure they need to communicate. Bonds between characters that facilitate more roleplay. This is outlined in great books such as A Life Well Lived (by Cubicle7) or The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying. These are often great as they can be taken out and popped into any game that people run.
Rift Walker
In Rift Walker, I have created rules that help keep characters together in bond. The Bonded Fate rules are below. This has lead to some excellent team play and encourages players to pay attention in combat to see times when their buddy might need their help. I have seen these rules in play from the beginning and have been super happy with them. Players start with 2 Fate Points and a Bonded Fate Point.
Fate
The measure of heroic force and sheer good luck – spend a point to reroll a check, or permanently spend to avoid death. Fate recovers each adventure. To create interesting narrative restrictions, Fate is used in ways that promote character growth;
When in a life-or-death situation
When you are using a pool or action that is core to the identity of the character's archetype
During a pivotal character development moment (finding a way to play away from your character flaw)
Bonded fate point as normal (see below)
They may also be used to directly counter Doom Points.
Bonded Fate
This represents the hope, assistance and love an RW shares with another RW. Bonded Fate points are spent by an RW on allied Bond, at no action cost in reaction to a roll being made.
To facilitate this, I have included a table in character creation that outlines how Rift Walkers might have bonded in the past:
How do you know your bond?
You were saved or protected by them. Indebted.
You are friend or family member from the same world.
Magically bound to them.
You have the same ideals/goals.
Lost a bet/committed a crime with them.
You are best of friends and want to travel together.
Rift Master Tools
As a Game master it is also essential that time is put into thinking how characters might all be linked as Rift Walkers. When thinking of a Campaign, some elements are included in my preparation lists. This stuff is covered in the creation of a campaign, and should be a focus of the character creation in Session 0. This includes:
The link – what connects the characters – the hub location, a triggering event, their role, quest giver
Bonds – potential connections as bonded Rift Walkers – protection, mentor, events
Future Revisions Ideas
I have been thinking about how this might be further iterated on in 0.5. I am not sure yet what might happen in the future, but the following questions have crossed my mind:
Should there be a risk associated with Bonded Fate, such as giving up a personal resource?
Should Bonded Fate only be recovered with an in narrative phase, such as roleplaying camp fire sequence or dramatic moment?
Could there be multiple bonds, one positive and one leaning towards negative, with different mechanical impacts?
What should player goals have to do with bonds?
Could the bond change and shift with the campaign over a sort of tracker?
